We all know that a number of pedestrians involved in accidents has risen worldwide, and one reason for this is this, people texting while walking, everywhere. Studying this phenomenon and the psychology involved in it is critical, but doing so in a safe manner is a challenge. We developed a method to do so that we'll present in this video.
Begin by turning on the four recording computers, the EEG amplifier, the projector, the treadmill, the speakers, and the smartphone. To set up the recording equipment, open the synchronization software with the specific sub-routine created for the study with markers at 10 seconds. The synchronization software sends a pulse that appears in the form of a marker and light pulse in the EEG and video recording every 10 seconds.
Open the video recording software. The camera should automatically turn on as well. If not, manually turn them on.
Open and set up the EEG recording software for the participant. Open the folder containing the visual stimulus executable script file made with the visual experiment presentation software. Prepare the EEG setup and materials according to the procedures suggested by the manufacturers.
After welcoming the participant and having them sign the consent form, read the prepared script describing the experimental process. To begin setting up the EEG measure the participant's head circumference for the EEG cap. For this experiment, an EEG ACTA cap with 32 pre-amplified electrodes was used.
Have the participant stand on the treadmill and attach the treadmill safety key to the participant. Set the treadmill speed to 0.8 miles per hour. Have the participant walk for two minutes to become familiar with the speed.
Go to the workflow sheet on the computer to choose the condition order for the current participant. Two orders are possible. In order A, trials one and three use the texting condition.
While trials two and four use the control condition. In order B, trials one and three use the control conditions and trials two and four use the texting conditions. Make sure that all the recording software is ready to be started in synchrony.
Then begin the EEG recording. Start the synchronization software and make sure the video recording has begun simultaneously. Have the participant get back on the treadmill and slowly increase the speed back to 0.8 miles per hour.
Turn on the visual stimulus program and start running it. Read the instructions corresponding to the selected trial to the participant. Run the stimulus executable script file for the experiment trials.
Enter the participant number and the code chosen for the specific conditions. Begin the trial. Instruct the participant to walk on the treadmill and respond to the visual stimulus every time it appears by answering left or right.
Signal to the participant that the trial is about to begin and start the visual stimulus trial. Write down the participants'response every time they respond to the visual stimulus. When a participant fails to respond, leave the field blank.
At the end of the trial, reduce the treadmill speed to 0.4 miles per hour. Then have the participant sit down and drink some water. After the break, have the participant step back onto the treadmill and gradually increase the speed back to 0.8 miles per hour as they walk.
While the participant is walking on the treadmill, hand them the smartphone. Instruct the participant to text as they would naturally whether that is with one hand or two, and to respond to the visual stimulus every time it appears by answering left or right. Signal to the participant that the trial is about to begin and start the visual stimulus trial.
Have the research assistant follow the conversation script and keep the conversation going throughout the trial. Write down the participant's response every time they respond to the visual stimulus. When a participant fails to respond, leave the field blank.
At the end of the trial, take the smartphone from the participant, lower the speed on the treadmill, and have the participant sit down and drink some water. Remove the EEG cap and take the participant to a shower where they can wash their hair if they so choose. Give the participant their compensation and thank them for their participation.
Ensure that the participant leaves with their copy of the consent form and that they retrieve all their personal items. Participants'responses were analyzed for two variables, correct identification and response time. Participants were more likely to identify the correct direction for the point light walker stimulus when they were not texting prior to the appearance of the stimulus.
No significant difference in reaction time was found. EEG recordings were used to determine the neurophysiological activity involved in task switching by observing alpha oscillations and cognitive engagement. The alpha ratio reflects the process of task inhibition.
A higher alpha ratio led to better performance during the walking condition, while in the texting condition, performance was hindered by a higher alpha ratio. These results show that when texting while walking, performance was negatively impacted by the amount of resources needed to inhibit the previous task set. We're confident that this technique will enable our community to pursue research in this field, as it allowed to study the phenomena of mobile multitasking in a safe way.
